Tourism and Beyond

Before leaving for vacation you must check the security of your home, but you have to be alert during the weeks prior to your travel. Check with neighbours and let them know that you won’t be at home so they can notice if there are noises inside your house, tell them   to pick your correspondence…

This are 21 useful hints a burglar won’t tell you:

Safe travel

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier. 

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste … and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

What a burglar won't tell you

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it. 

5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway. 

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy. 

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom—and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too. 

8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door—understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather. 

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don’t take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet. 

11. Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms. 

12. You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me. 

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television.

14. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

15. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors. 

16. I’ll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he’ll stop what he’s doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn’t hear it again, he’ll just go back to what he was doing. It’s human nature.

17. I’m not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

18. I love looking in your windows. I’m looking for signs that you’re home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I’d like. I’ll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

19. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It’s easier than you think to look up your address.

20. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation.

21. If you don’t answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

VIA: Reader’s Digest

Travel burglar, family travel, safety, security, Travel

A new airline for pets is taking off with weekly flights to five airports across the country. Beginning July 14, Pet Airways is flying pets to and from Baltimore/Washington International; Midway in Chicago; Rocky Mountain Airport in Broomfield, Colo., near Denver; Hawthorne Municipal Airport near Los Angeles; and Republic Airport on Long Island serving the New York City metro area.

The airline allows cats and dogs to travel in carriers in the main cabin of the plane, rather than the cargo hold. While some airlines allow small animals to fly in the cabin as long as their carriers fit under the seats, Pet Airways has no limit on size.

Travel with pets

The carrier will not transport human passengers other than crew and attendants to care for the animals during flights. Pet owners will have to fly separately.

One-way fares start at $149. Many of the flights on the airline’s limited initial itinerary are already booked full with a waiting list depending on the animal’s size.

To prevent pets from getting sick, there won’t be any beverage or snack service.

FROM: The Huffington Post

Airlines, Travel family travel, pets, Travel

In a recent survey by Expedia, European hoteliers called Britons the rudest tourists. The Japanese were called most polite (Domo arigato).

Maybe if we follow certain simple rules of behaviour while away? Let’s start with these:

- Airports and planes: In an airport lounge, take one seat, not one for you, one for your bag, and one for your lunch. Once on the plane, don’t grab the seat of the person in front of you when you get up. Recline your seat slowly so as not to put the lunch of the passenger behind you in her lap. Use your cellphone at a minimum and speak quietly.

In a survey by TripAdvisor, 78 per cent of respondents thought cellphones should be banned from airplanes. Seriously! You’re in a confined space. Try to keep your private conversation private.

- Queue busters: Apparently, people regularly try to jump queues at Disney World. What’s up with that? How un-Mickey like. Those Rudey Rudelers need to remember everyone else is on vacation, too. If you see a lineup, line up.

- Hotel manners: Like this hotel? Wanna come back? They’ll remember you if you’re rude to staff and will know if you steal towels. Tip your maid daily. She is not making a lot in wages and she is required to clean rooms on schedule so try not to leave it an abysmal mess. She should have room to manoeuvre so keep your items out of the way. And don’t leave a lot of belongings on the bed since this will slow her down when she has to strip the sheets.

You should also tidy up at the end of your stay. I can hear the groans already, but just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean your manners have to take one, too.

Travel family travel, manners, Travel

It is undeniable: winter has arrived here in Europe. Piles of snow line the roads, white roofs and snowmen call for your attention. I can’t help but start thinking about skiing and snowboarding.

A very easy and visual way of checking the latest snowfalls in ski resorts in the Alp regions of Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland is the new “Ski resorts in the Alps” layer in Google Earth. You can find it in the Gallery folder of the layers panel under “Travel and Tourism”.

All information on the ski resorts are provided by bergfex who aggregates the data from the ski resorts to make sure that you get the latest data in this layer. The icons represent the average snow depth of that area; the whiter the icon, the more snow you can expect. Check back often, as these snow depth readings are updated four times a day.

Every balloons displays useful information such as the fresh snow depth from within the last 24 hours (on the mountain and also in the valley), the altitude of the skiing area, the length of the slopes, useful phone numbers, and much more!

Now use Google Earth to get the latest info and then get outside to enjoy the snow, the real stuff, on-site!

SOURCE: GOOGLE LAT-LONG

Travel conditions, family travel, google earth, ski, ski travel, snow, Travel